Modular link conveyors are typically driven by a plurality of laterally spaced, gang driven sprockets located at the transition of the conveyor from the forward to the return run. Despite the longstanding success of this popular approach, it is not without limits. For one, the amount of power required to drive a particularly long conveyor from one end can be high, and its transfer in the course of operation can generate excessive wear and stress on the sprocket and links of the conveyor chain. For many modular link conveyors capable of undergoing longitudinal expansion and compression, there is also a tendency of the chain to lag in the middle, especially where the chain is particularly wide or the side links are guided along a guide rail and thus retarded by friction.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved drive arrangement for modular link conveyors. The drive arrangement should be readily adaptable to many different types of conveyors at minimal cost, and potentially applied in a retrofit situation without extensive effort. The drive arrangement would be adapted to drive a variety of conveyors.